LEGISLATURE 2023-24: Legislative Newsletter (Feb. 5, 2023/LWVWA)

Editor’s Note: The League of Women Voters (LWV) of Washington sent this legislative newsletter on Feb. 5, 2023. Our mission at the Voter Interests Project is to monitor elected officials and ballot measures; we generally do not report on the activities of non-profit organizations. However, the LWV Whidbey Island chapter conducts candidate forums during most election cycles, and are therefore of particular interest to voters. The LWV of Washington’s website states, “The League is a Nonpartisan Source You Can Trust”; however, the LWV does take positions on public policy. Our observation is that their policy positions inform their management of voter forums. Therefore, we believe it to be of interest to our readers to know the positions for which the LWV advocates.

Action Alerts

Click on the links below to learn more about bills currently being reviewed in the state legislature. You can “take action” on these most pressing bills by sending a suggested, editable email to legislators, encouraging them to vote to promote the League issue in question.

Fully Fund the Trust Land Transfer program—Sign in PRO on HB 1460

The Department of Natural Resources is poised to activate its revitalized Trust Land Transfer program (HB 1460). The Trust Land Transfer (TLT) exists because the DNR needs a tool to transfer land to local communities when those lands don’t match DNR’s mission of generating revenue for trust beneficiaries. Underperforming lands can be transferred out of the DNR portfolio, and lands at the risk of conversion an be acquired to expand the portfolio of working forests. This will benefit rural communities who often have an economy tied to wise management of working forests. The DNR and a workgroup charged with improving and strengthening the TLT has developed a list of 10 projects than can be transferred to local communities. DNR will utilize a legislative appropriation of $25 million to purchase replacement lands.

Click here to sign in PRO on HB 1460

Click here to ask the House Capital Budget Committee to vote YES for HB 1460.

[Ed. Note: State Representative Clyde Shavers (D-Oak Harbor) sits on the House Capital Budget committee.]

This Week in the Legislature

The Legislative Session Continues at Full Speed

The intensity and high volume of policy committee work has continued. Our Issue Chairs have been testifying on many bills, as well as attending executive sessions, and meeting with coalition partners. This level of activity will continue as bills are passed out of policy committees, until the February 16th cutoff. At that point, bills that have not passed out of the policy committees become “dead” for this session. Bills that have successfully passed out of their respective policy committees move onward to several possible places including Ways and Means Committee and other fiscal committees if there are budget considerations, and the other House.

You can follow how bills are progressing through committees in this Newsletter. On the final page, be sure to look for the alert symbols, which signal that you could help with a bill’s progress by signing in PRO or CON.

Don’t miss our Action Alert this week, regarding fully funding the revitalized trust land transfer program, HB 1460. This bill would fund the preservation of ecologically valuable lands, to preserve them for the public. There will be a hearing in the House Capital Budget Committee on Thursday at 1:30.

Events

Democracy Lobby Week starts tomorrow!

There is still time to register, if you haven’t already.

Monday’s events include:

How a Bill Becomes a Law presentation at 10:00 am on ACT via Zoom, register here.

An opening program at 5:00 pm

See the full agenda for the week here.

There are several other ways you can follow the hearings and legislative process:

Via TVW (Washington State’s public affairs TV network), and
On the Washington State Legislature website.

Check out the weekly updates for each issue (below) for information on how to testify, and how to sign on PRO or CON to proposed legislation.

The 2023 Legislative Issues

LWVWA Legislative Issues From the 2023 Washington State Legislative Session

Click on an issue to learn more about session results on bills the League supported and “This Week’s Updates” to read the issue chair’s report on this past week.

Democracy

Elections | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Money in Politics | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Education | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Redistricting | Issue Overview | New task force underway – see updates

Environment

Climate Crisis and Energy | Issue Overview | No updates this week

Forests | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Growth Management | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Solid Waste Management | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Transportation | Issue Overview | Read this week’s update

Social and Economic Policy